Best 55-inch TVs for watching the World Cup

The good: The affordable TCL 6 series has excellent overall image quality, with deep black levels, very good brightness, rich contrast and accurate color. Its Roku smart TV platform is the best available, with a simple interface and extensive streaming app support. The TV handles both HDR10 and Dolby Vision high-dynamic-range sources.

The bad: Brightness and video processing fall short of some more expensive TVs.

The cost: $650

The bottom line: With superb picture quality that rivals TVs costing twice as much, TCL’s 6 series is the best TV value we’ve ever reviewed.

The good: The C8 is the best performing TV we’ve tested. It delivers perfect black levels, wide viewing angles, accurate color and a great bright-room picture. Uniformity and video-processing options are slightly better than last year. Its striking design features a super-slim panel.

The bad: The C8 is expensive, and a cheaper LG OLED is due this year. It can’t get as bright as competing LCD TVs.

The cost: $2,500

The bottom line: LG’s C8 sets the standard against which all high-end TVs will be judged.

The good: The affordable M-Series has better overall picture quality than anything else at its price, and in some ways outperforms even more expensive TVs. It can handle both HDR10 and Dolby Vision high-dynamic-range formats. The Chromecast built-in system offers more apps and more frequent updates than many dedicated smart TV systems, and can even be controlled by a Google Home speaker.

The bad: Not as bright as some competitors. No built-in tuner, so you can’t watch over-the-air antenna broadcasts unless you attach a separate tuner. Mediocre external design and poor smart TV onscreen menus. Only one HDMI input is compatible with every 4K HDR source.

The cost: $600 to $790

The bottom line: The M-Series remains a great choice for mainstream budgets that value image quality over everything else.

The good: The Sony XBR-X900F has excellent image quality, with deep black levels, accurate color, solid video processing and very good high-dynamic-range performance. Its modern, minimalist styling is a cut above budget models. The Android TV operating system beats many competitors with more apps and integrated Google Assistant.

The bad: More expensive than Vizio and TCL TVs with similar image quality. Smart TV and voice control features can occasionally be slow to respond.

The cost: $1,300

The bottom line: It might not be the best value, but the Sony offers an excellent picture, superb style and enough extras to tempt buyers who don’t want a bargain brand.

The following Cnet staff members contributed to this report: David Katzmaier and Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit www.cnet.com.